Road construction is a necessary evil when we talk about infrastructure, but it always brings with it a frustrating mix of traffic jams, unexpected detours, and trips that take far longer than they should. For most drivers, the sight of those orange cones and flashing lights means their day is about to get worse, turning an ordinary drive into a real test of patience.
Google Maps has some features that people often overlook that can help you avoid situations like this. With built-in Google Maps tools, you can control your routes and avoid construction zones entirely.
Use real-time traffic levels
Google Maps isn't just for directionsit has real-time traffic levels built into it. These layers work including official construction dataaccidents and road closures come straight from transportation agencies. They also use proprietary speed data obtained from mobile device GPS signals, as well as data collected from the drivers themselves.
This allows you to develop proactive strategies to avoid delays. This actually reduces the frequency of getting stuck in traffic jams due to construction, accidents or similar situations. If you keep an eye on this, you can get real information and change your route before you hit the road. This is better than sticking to one potentially outdated detour that could result in a terrible traffic jam.
Set departure or arrival time
If you know what time you need to leave or be there, you should use the Set Departure or Arrival Time feature. This is a trip planner that takes into account many circumstances. It gives you some proactive trip planning tools based on predictions of what traffic will look like in the future. This feature allows you to specify the date and time you intend to depart or the exact time you want to reach your destination.
The predictive model actually monitors the specific location of construction sites, any traffic restrictions and planned deviations. For example, if the lane closure only occurs between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., you can adjust the exit time to completely skip the time when work is active.
Add multiple stops to force a route change.
Adding a few stops to your route in navigation apps like Google Maps will always keep you away from construction zones if you're trying to avoid them in your plan. This method is useful when the navigation app insists on sending you through the stages of construction, and a command every driver should know. Even though the app considers this route to be the “fastest” route, you cannot guarantee that it will not stop.
You can strategically change this route by adding a series of intermediate points or locations. When you add stops on an alternate road that circles or diverges from a construction zone, you can essentially force the navigation app to reroute your trip depending on what you prefer. Sometimes this may be the only way to get Google to do what you want.
Use the avoid motorway route option.
The “Avoid Highways” route option can really cut down on those annoying construction zones because that's where construction happens regularly. You can find this option usually hidden in the Route Options section of your navigation app. When you select it, you tell the system to prioritize local roads and skip larger highways.
This doesn't mean the system can't include a highway portion at all, but it certainly steers results toward other paths if it can, so that's the function you should use. If the highway is the only way, you will take it regardless of your choice. Also, keep in mind that navigation apps are usually designed to give you the fastest route, and choosing this option may make your trip longer.
Disable “Avoid toll roads”.
If you turn off the “Avoid Toll Roads” setting in Google Maps, you can really cut down on those annoying construction zones. This is because it opens up access to alternative roads, which are often much more efficient. Toll roads are usually private or managed differently than public highways, meaning they are usually more careful about causing problems for drivers, and construction may not occur as frequently as toll roads.
So, if you allow yourself to use toll roads, you can potentially get routes that completely bypass the construction delays that clog unpaid public roads. The downside is that you pay a few dollars each time you use it, but it will only last for the duration of construction.
Use bike lanes
If there is a traffic jam near your workplace, you will not be able to get out of it easily. In this case, you can park your car nearby and simply walk or bike the rest of the way. If you want to find these routes, simply switch your navigation to bike mode in your map apps. For example, in Google Maps, you click the layers icon and select the “Bike” option, and this allows you to find suitable routes quite quickly.
Having dedicated cycling infrastructure often means you can completely avoid road closures and all that heavy construction traffic that causes major stress and delays during your journey. Road closures and construction work usually only block cars, but can sometimes still allow pedestrians and cyclists through, so that's a win for you.
Find out construction details
Finding out the specifics of a construction project will be a huge help when you're trying to deal with those annoying work areas. This is especially true in cities, where different road projects can duplicate each other or simply cause huge delays at the same time. Google Maps collects data from local government agencies and even crowdsourced reports to provide information.
You can usually drill down into the specific details of the road work. This tells you whether just one lane or the entire road is closed, how severe the traffic impact is, and why they closed it in the first place. This can help if you're trying to choose between construction zones to drive through, which you sometimes have to do.
When you put all of these clever navigation tricks together, it becomes very clear that you actually have a lot more control than you think when faced with road construction delays. You no longer have to just sit and put up with delays.
Taking advantage Google Maps updates and by using things like real-time traffic updates, predicted arrival and departure times, setting strategic waypoints, or even finding alternative modes of travel, we turn what was previously a frustrating and passive experience into a much smoother journey. So the next time you see those scary orange cones, remember that your navigation app holds the key to a much better route.
